A traditional watch or clock may include two separate hands, such as a minute hand and a separate hour hand, to identify the current time in hours and minutes. For example, the hour hand is traditionally smaller than the minute hand and sweeps about a watch or clock face pointing to the hours of the day. For example, in a traditional 12-hour scaled timepiece, the hour hand will complete two (2) full 360° rotations in a full 24 hour day, and in a 24-hour scaled timepiece, the hour hand will complete one (1) full 360° rotation in a full 24 hour day. The minute hand will traditionally sweep around the face of the watch or clock at a rate of exactly one revolution (or) 360° per hour and will rotationally point to portions of the watch or clock face to identify the current minute. Thus, in order to identify the current time, a user will separately locate the position of the hour hand and the position of the minute hand, and based thereupon, determine the time.
The proposed timepiece presented herein will feature a single hand or time indicator that can be used to simultaneously identify both the hour element and the minute element of the current (or other) time traditionally presented with 12 or 24 hour scales and a 60 minute scale over the 360° face. The single hand will rotate about the face of the timepiece in a similar manner as a traditional hour hand, e.g., in a 12-hour scaled timepiece, the single hand of the proposed invention will complete two (2) full 360° rotations in a full 24 hour day, and in a 24-hour scaled timepiece, the hour hand will complete one (1) full 360° rotation in a full 24 hour day. Advantageously, a rotational minute panel or disc will move at an appropriate speed or rate such that indicia disposed thereon will cooperatively align with the single hand or indicator, such as the hour hand, to precisely identify the current minute element. The outer distal end of the hand will point to or otherwise identify the hour element or portion of the time, for example, based upon fixed or static hour indicia.
Accordingly, the proposed timepiece features a unique manner in which the hours and minutes are identified by a single hand, e.g., rotating around the face of the timepiece at the speed of an hour hand, offering an easy and precise way to read or determine the time while still remaining in the context of a classic and elegant timepiece, e.g., with a traditional hours and minutes scale.